Prim's View of the 74th Hunger Games
by gdmango
Summary: This is what Prim was thinking and doing while Katniss was in the arena of the 74th Annual Hunger Games. Sadness, hopelessness, adrenaline rushes, small glimpses of what someone might call hope is what Prim is feeling while her brave older sister is fighting for her life in a vast and wild arena full of bloodthirsty teenagers. R&R!
1. Before the Games

__**Hello everyone! This is my first story on FanFiction, as I usually do FictionPress, but I hope you like it! So this is what Prim was thinking and doing while Katniss was in the arena. Well, not quite yet in this first chapter but next chapter it gets more into the Games :). R&R please!**

**-gdmango**

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_Prim_

I wake up sweaty in the middle of the night, screaming Katniss' name, waiting for her to come to my side as she does every time I have a nightmare. Although she doesn't come. I wait a little longer and then start to panic. Katniss? Are you here? Where are you, Katniss? Then I remember. My brave older sister is in the Hunger Games. She volunteered to take my place when I was reaped, basically sacrificing herself for me. My lip starts to tremble again, but then I remember what I promised her when we said our last goodbyes. I told her I would stay strong and support Mom and I with what I could make.

Even though it's around 5:00 am, I can't get back to sleep. I slip out from under my thin blanket and let my feet find the surface of the rough wooden floor. I walk out of my room that I used to share with Katniss, and soundlessly find my way over to the sagging couch and sit down, feeling the comforting worn fabric underneath me. The Hunger Games start today. I turn on the small television that's in our house. I don't need to change the channel, as the there's only one because the Capitol doesn't want us watching anything besides the Hunger Games during the season. That started today. At 9:00 a.m., the tributes will be released to kill each other. Katniss could kill someone. Someone could kill _her._ Caesar Flickerman is on his talk show that he does every morning, but this morning his guest is Seneca Crane. The man that could decide Katniss' fate.

"So, Seneca, what can Panem expect in the 74th Hunger Games that's new and exciting?" Caesar eagerly asks Crane.

"Well, Caesar, I don't want to give anything away, but it's going to be a very exciting year in the arena for these, ah, _unfortunate_ adolescents! There's going to be a variety of landscapes, and no matter which way they go, they'll experience something that they didn't expect." Crane smiled maliciously.

"Ooh! How exciting! I can't wait to see what you have in store for us, Seneca!" Caesar gleefully clapped his hands.

"Yes, I'm excited to see how it comes across with Panem this year," Seneca Crane sadistically wondered. "I hope you like it; we put a lot of work into it, as we do every year, but this year I'm especially excited!"

"Ahaha!" Caesar's deep and loud yet charming laugh reverberates across the set of his talk show. "Well folks, only 3 and ½ hours until the long wait is over and the 74th Hunger Games begin! Thank you so much for being on our little show this morning, Seneca, and we'll be waiting ever so patiently for these exciting events you speak of! See you soon, folks, and this is Caesar Flickerman, signing off!" The screen cuts to black. I can feel the fear and worry claw at the insides of my churning stomach. Exciting events? Variety of landscapes? _Unfortunate adolescents?_ What exactly was this arena going to be? I begin to cry, trying to get out all my grief for Katniss before she's even dead. But she's not going to die. She promised me she'd try to win. She _promised._ And a promise from Katniss is all I have right now, besides all of her clothes and belongings that I don't touch except to smell them, because weird as it sounds, they still smell like her. Mainly like the woods; pine, oak, maple, but also a tinge of meat and bread and soup.

Bread. Peeta. Peeta, who Katniss has never spoken of. Ever. And now he's proclaimed his love for her and what the heck is she supposed to do about it? The bakery has remained open, it seems like Peeta's parents don't even care that he's going to die. I just assume that he's going to die because he'll have to in order for Katniss to come home. Which she will.

I look at the ticking clock above the cupboards, dusty from neglect. 6:00. In 3 hours Katniss could be dead. I need something to do. I know if I were Katniss, I would go hunting. But I can't stand killing innocent animals just so I can feed myself. And my mother, of course. What can I do? What can I do until 9:00? I look at the clock again. I can barely see from the dust coating the face, but vaguely it states that it's 6:02. Great. I've gotten rid of 2 minutes. Wait, the dust coating on the clock face. I'll clean the house!

I get out our make-shift broom, duster, mop and bucket, fill the bucket with water from the nearby well, and get to work. I dust the tops and insides of the cupboards first, then I sweep the floors. I don't clean mother's room, though, because every since Katniss got reaped she's stayed shut up in her room, even though she promised Katniss she wouldn't. After sweeping and dusting, I throw all the dust and dirt outside, and bring our 3 rugs outside and start beating them. The plume of grime that comes off of them is enough for me to stagger around for 5 minutes, coughing, but at least they got cleaned. I don't think the house has been cleaned for months, as mother fades in and out of herself these days, Katniss is usually out hunting with Gale, and I'm either at school or playing with Buttercup or Lady. While the rugs are still outside, I move all the furniture into my/Katniss' room and started mopping the rest of the floors. Once they were all wet, I checked the clock again. 6:45. Only 2 hours and 15 minutes and Katniss could be dead. But she won't be. Because she's coming home.

I sighed and got some raggedy towels out from a closet and started drying the floor. What if the arena's going to be cold? What if this raggedy blanket in my hands could mean the warmth between life and death for Katniss? No, they wouldn't do that. One year they did that, a super cold, snowy, and icy arena and it was a really boring year. There was barely any hand-to-hand combat, mainly just the tributes freezing to death. It seems so awful to say that it was boring now, when in reality I couldn't bear to watch them die. That was the first year that I really understood what the Capitol was doing to these kids. At every death that year, I cried. Those poor kids' families! Their parents who raised them just to see them slaughtered, their friends who cried for them, their siblings that fought with them but still loved them unconditionally. It was also the first year that Katniss was eligible for the Reaping. I had found out about what the Capitol was really doing to them a week before the Reaping, so on the day of it I was going berserk, convinced that Katniss was going off into the Games. The worry of her being Reaped heightened every year, because of the tesserae, but never in a million years did I think that she was actually going to go into them. It was all just a bunch of mindless worrying, not really thinking about what would happen if she was Reaped. Much less did I expect that I would be Reaped and she would go in for me.

I kept drying the floors. The clock read 7:30. My heart skipped a beat. Less than 2 hours and Katniss- or what's left of her- could be sitting at our doorstep in a wooden box.

"Stop that!" I scolded myself. "Katniss is coming home, remember?"

The floors were finally dry, and I slid all the rugs back to where they were, and heaved all the furniture back into their places, before collapsing in a tired heap on the couch again. I sat there for about 5 minutes, daydreaming, before being startled back into reality by a voice.

"Are you hungry?"

Mother's voice sounded hollow, as did her face. I tried to be nice to her, but sometimes she just bugged me. I know I'm supposed to be the sweet and innocent one, but that doesn't mean that I can't be annoyed with other people. I just wished that Mother _tried _more. That she gave more effort into life. Yes, it's been hard for her. The one and only man she loved died in a mining accident, and her eldest daughter is probably going to die—I _mean_, she's going to get HURT, but she's not going to die—But she's not the only one that's gone through those tragedies. I've gone through both, and so has Katniss, and for Katniss it's even worse, because she's the one that has to go through the Hunger Games, probably coming out not ever being the same again.

"No thanks." My stomach says otherwise as it growles loudly.

"I'll make some toast."

"I'm fine." I took a deep breath, before putting a small smile on my face and turning around to look at her. I didn't want us to waste any food that we could sell to get money to sponsor Katniss with.

"Are you sure?" She sounded like she almost wanted to make me something.

"Yes. Thank you, though."

8:15. Less than an hour. I decided to turn on the television to watch the pre-Games highlights. Once the Games start, the TV can't be turned off. The Capitol practically forces Panem to watch the Games, to watch their own children die, whether they want to or not. The Reapings are playing again. District 1's tributes are chosen, both volunteers out of breath from running up to the stage faster than all the other wanna-be volunteers. Glimmer, I have to say, is gorgeous. But she's a usual Career. All brawn, no brains. The boy, Marvel, looks kind of funny. District 2's boy tribute is extremely sexy, and the girl looks super menacing. Both big threats to Katniss. District 3's tributes are easily dismissible. District 4's are the same. Same with District 5's, though the girl looks like she has a strange steeliness to her. District 6 is no challenge at all, same with 7, 8, 9, and 10. The guy from 11 is HUGE and a HUGE threat, but the girl… the poor girl. Only 12. _My _age! Then there's me getting reaped, and Katniss volunteering for me, and Peeta being called.

After that is the Chariot rides and there's nothing special besides a little fight between the District 3 tributes, and the Girl on Fire. When she came out in that costume, it literally took my breath away. I was so awestruck by what her and Peeta's stylists did to them, that I swear my heart stopped for a few seconds. I hope that got her at least a few sponsors. 8:45. A lump in my throat formed, and I caught my breath. 15 minutes until the Games began. Caesar started talking and joking with Claudius, at which I scowled. Doesn't he understand? Doesn't he get it that my big sister is probably going to die? That only one of these poor kids gets to go home? I curse at him under my breath. He thinks this is all fun and games, but it's not. It's not anything close. My thoughts go off in their own world, and I wonder what Katniss is thinking right now. She's probably calm but nervous. If I was in her place right now, I'd probably be freaking out and jumping off the walls and screaming my head off, pleading that they not make me do this. If I was in the Hunger Games, I'd probably die in the Bloodbath. I'd try my best, just like Katniss promised me she'd do, but honest to goodness I'd most likely die on the first day. 8:56. 4 minutes. Mother sits down next to me and takes my hand in her calloused one, and squeezes it. I close my eyes and surprisingly the gesture calms me a bit. I'm still jittery inside, but not panicking anymore. When I open them, there's an aerial view of the tributes rising up into the arena that's grassy and to one side there's woods! I immediately spot Katniss and she looks confused and is looking at Peeta. _For heaven's sake!_ I just want to yell at her. _Focus on the arena, not on Peeta!_ Claudius Templesmith starts the 10 second countdown, and my breath is caught in my throat.

"_Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One."_

The Gong sounds.


	2. The Games Begin

**Sorry, this one's a little shorter than the other one, but I'll make it up to you by uploading Chapter 3 soon. In the meantime, enjoy and R&R!**

**-gdmango**

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_Prim_

Katniss takes off of her metal circle and heads towards a bag on the outskirts of the cornucopia, reaching it the same time as a boy who collapses due to the girl from 2's knife. Katniss hitches the backpack up her back and starts running, glancing back at the girl from 2, whose evil smirk is trained on Katniss as she throws another knife.

"No!" I choke out. But Katniss flings the backpack in the way of the knife, blocking it from entering her skull and ending her life by that one backpack. She retrieves the knife and keeps it, and luckily the other girl, "Clove", as I have learned from the narrating Caesar, finds a different target. Katniss starts running away into the forest, which I knew she would go into, and doesn't stop for who knows how long. She doesn't get much screen time while she's running, probably because the bloodbath is a much more interesting topic for the Capitol, but there are flashes of her here and there. 11 dead. Another cannon goes off. Make that 12 dead. 12 souls who will never see light again, and probably another 3 or 4 who are injured beyond repair and will die soon. I feel bad hoping that they will die, but in order for Katniss to come home, they must.

Katniss looks dehydrated. Surprisingly I'm okay with that, seeing as one of the other options would be dead, but nonetheless I feel obligated to help her.

"Let's send her water." I say to Mother, who shakes her head.

"Why not?"

"She's not going to make it, Prim. You and I both know that, but I'm the one who's accepted it. We shouldn't waste our money on someone who's going to die soon, because that wouldn't be smart, now would it?" She coos as she strokes my hair. How can she be so damn calm? Katniss IS going to make it, and we WON'T be wasting our money if we send her water. We'll just be helping her die if we don't. I pull away from her gentle hand, revolted.

"You're not willing to help your own daughter when she's in the HUNGER GAMES? You disgust me, mother." I spit at her.

"Prim, sweetie… don't say that…!"

"But it's true. You don't give a damn about life anymore, do you? Too many people you love have died, or you think are going to die. Well guess what. I've gone through all that stuff too! Sure I didn't really know dad, but I think I'm losing Katniss more than you are. Think of when she comes home and finds out that you've done the exact opposite thing that she told you to do. Give up. Tune out. Ignore reality. She'll be truly angry. And I don't think you'll want to deal with an angry person that's just come out of the Hunger Games, do you Mother?" I scathe.

She is speechless. I can see her empty eyes start to tear up, her mouth opening and closing, trying to form words that won't come. I've stayed in my sweet shell too long. It's time for the other side of Primrose Everdeen to be unleashed. I stomp back to my room, slamming the door in the process, before my own eyes are welling up and I'm crying. I feel so bad about yelling at Mother. She's gone through so much. What am I talking about, what "other side" of me? There is no other side. This sweet and innocent girl is all there is. I was never like this and never wanted to be before… Before Katniss was Reaped. I need to get all this anger out. But where? Where in the world could make me feel at peace, or connected to Katniss in any way? Then it hits me. I creep out of my bedroom so Mother doesn't hear me, but there's no need. She's shut herself up in her room again. I want to fling the door open and apologize so bad, but I know if I do then I'll just end up screaming at her again.

So I start to run. Not turning back and not feeling anything except the wind against my face, I run as fast as I can. Away from the house, away from the television where Katniss has a 1 in 12 chance of coming home alive, away from Mother, away from all the sorrowful looks from the people of District 12, and away from whatever anger I need to get out. I run through the square, the Hob, the Meadow, until I find what I was looking for.

The fence isn't on, as Katniss always told me it wasn't. But all the same I caught my breath. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I had never gone in there without the sturdy being of Katniss by my side. Looking around for a few minutes just to be sure no one was watching me; I quietly slip under the fence and stand on the other side for a few moments. It doesn't feel like I'm doing anything wrong, yet I'm breaking one of the biggest laws of Panem. I feel the soft, spongy earth beneath my shoes, and I carefully take a step forward. Katniss had showed me where she hid her bows, but I don't want them. I just need some place to stop and think. So I tread on. The trees are a little creepy, but I tried to ignore them as best I could, as well as the animals that scattered with every step I took. Soon I started to run again.

Running out here in the woods felt so much better than running in District 12. Out here, the air was fresh and crisp, whereas in 12 it was smoky and filled with charcoal dust. Out here, you just feel connected to everything, as if it was all one single being. I sat down to rest on a rock for a bit, recounting my thoughts and really observing the woods for the first time. I could see why Katniss liked it so much. You just felt… at peace. With yourself, and with nature. I smiled at the birds chirping their lovely songs, and every once in a while I would see a squirrel scamper up a tree, or a rabbit bounding away. I stretched out on the rock and yawned, before moving to the ground and laying there gazing up at the beautiful canopy of trees.

"Don't move."


	3. In the Woods

**I am so SORRY that this chapter is so short, but I'm short on time. If you're bored with nothing to do there's a ton of other great FanFictions out there, and if you know about FictionPress you can check out my account on there too, because I have 3 stories on there so far. Same username as this. R&R and hope you like it!**

**-gdmango**

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_Prim_

I froze as the person shuffled silently over to my right side, staying still for a second before plunging an arrow into the ground scarily close to my right elbow.

"Can I move now?" I whispered.

"Yeah, you're fine. Need a hand?" Gale offered his and I took it gratefully. He pulled me up as if I was weightless.

"What was that?" I tremble.

"A miniature cobra. He was about to bite you." A miniature cobra. I remember one year those were used in the Games! The Capitol bred them so that they were a lot smaller than usual, but they still carried a ton of poison in them. After the Games, they set them free into the woods surrounding the Districts as another warning not to go into them.

"Oh, thanks." I smile weakly. "How long have you been following me?"

"Ever since you entered the woods. You're pretty loud, you know." He winked at me. "Don't try to hunt until I've taught you how to be silent."

"Wouldn't dream of it!" I tease. "I don't want to hunt, I just came in here to… cool off." I remembered where Katniss was. Apparently Gale must have, too, because all of a sudden I felt a chill run through the air and both of our grins faded.

"So… How's Katniss?"

I stiffen. "She's fine. Made it past the bloodbath. 12 are dead."

Gale shouted and punched the air. I knew he would be happy, but I bet Katniss is already scarred for life.

"Why didn't you watch it this morning?" I ask. I knew the answer already, but I wanted to ask just to be considerate.

Gale's mini celebration dies down and he pauses for a moment, eyeing me before looking down at the ground.

"I didn't want to see anything happen to her." His whisper is barely audible.

After our little conversation about Katniss, we sit in silence for a bit.

Then Gale puts a finger to his lips and pulls out an arrow. He motions for me to stay silent and unmoving, as he puts the arrow on the bow and soundlessly pulls the weapon into position. I try to see what he's about to shoot, but I can't. Gale has a hawk's eye. All of a sudden he lets the arrow fly and slings the bow over his shoulder as he runs to where an animal uttered a cry of anguish. I follow, more carefully, and see that he shot an extremely fat rabbit. Gale slits its throat and I gag and stumble away from the gruesome scene.

"It's alright now! I've cleaned it up!" Gale hollers from where he is.

I make my way back to him and he's tying it to a branch. When he sees me he grins and holds it up.

"This'll make some good soup, won't it!"

I smile back. "Sure." I bite my lip and think about what Katniss is doing right now. I decide that I've spent enough time in the woods and should probably head back home and apologize to Mother. I've had my cool off and I don't think I'll be coming back to the woods anytime soon, after the cobra and the rabbit incidents.

"I'm gonna go home now Gale, to see how Katniss is doing, but thanks for the nice time out here and," How do I say this? "And thanks for, uh, saving my life." I finish lamely.

Gale's toothy smile dims when I say this, but he nods.

"Let me know if anything happens to her, and my family and I will be over around 6:00 to have dinner and watch the Games with you guys."

"Okay, I'll be ready then!"

On my way back through the woods, I have time to think. Honestly, I've been really lonely since Katniss was shipped off to the Capitol, so having Gale and his family over will be nice, even if it is to watch my big sister fight for her life.


	4. The First Night

**Alright, I hope this makes up for the lack of story in the last chapter. Enjoy once again and R&R!**

**-gdmango**

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_Prim_

As I'm watching her trek through the woods, I can't help but feel desperately useless. I don't have enough money to send her water, or anything, for that matter. She looks so out of breath and so tired, and it's only the end of the first day! As she keeps going, I see other snapshots of the dead tributes at the Cornucopia, with the Careers setting up camp a few yards away from it. Wait a second… Is that Peeta? _Peeta?_ With the _Careers?_ But, but, he's from District 12, and District 12 absolutely _never_ gets in with the Careers. Why do they want him? And most importantly why does he want to be with them?

"Why can't we just finish him off now?" The girl from 1 asks the boy from 2.

"It's all right, you can kill him when the time is right, but for now we need him to get to Fire Girl." He soothingly responds. She looks happy with his answer. Dumb blonde. I heard those were popular jokes back in the 20th Century, and even though I'm blonde, for her it's true. _Glimmer._ What a pretty name. It's ridiculous, no doubt, but one of a kind. She's breathtakingly beautiful, even with mud covering her perfect face. Why can't I look like her? Katniss and Mother always said I was beautiful, but no girl is ever really satisfied with how she looks. I wonder what Glimmer wants to change about herself…

It's getting darker in the arena now, and I see Katniss giving up trying to find water and inspecting what's in the bag. They show her surprisingly often, for a tribute from 12. Inside she finds a sleeping bag, crackers, some kind of meat, matches, wire, sunglasses, iodine, and a… _water bottle!_ Just what she needs! Although when she opens it hungrily and tips it back into her mouth, nothing comes out. Damnit. But if she finds water she can use the iodine to sanitize it! Katniss sighs and shoves everything back in the bag. Then the screen cuts back to the girl from 5, who's found a water supply and is hiding out in a very well-camouflaged cave, sipping the water from a water bottle. She must have gotten iodine too.

Then it cuts to the boy from 11, the gargantuan one, and he's found refuge in a wheat field that I didn't notice before, but the place must be lurking with poisonous snakes. The girl from 11 is high up in a tree, sleeping in a fork in the branches. I liked her during her interview, she was shy, but seemed really nice. I was kind-of hoping that she and Katniss could team up, but then I realized that it would probably only slow Katniss down. The Careers were laughing and going through supplies, picking through their variety of weapons, when I noticed the bow. The silver bow with a sheath of 12 arrows. The boy from one(Cato, as I had learned from a narrating Caesar), pretended to auction them off, but they just ended up going to Glimmer, because they concluded that she was the most skilled at them. I didn't like her anymore. That was supposed to be _Katniss' _bow. _Katniss'_ arrows. Not stupid Glimmer's.

The anthem starts to play, and the congratulatory message from Caesar and Claudius makes me a little sick to my stomach. Then all the deaths are shown. The District 9 guy, the District 3 girl, the District 4 guy, the District 5 guy, both tributes from Districts 6 & 7, the District 8 guy, the District 9 girl, and the District 10 girl.

When the camera goes back to Katniss, I feel so much pity for her. She's up in a big tree in her sleeping bag, and she's tied herself to the tree, probably so that she doesn't fall out while she's sleeping. I shouldn't have let her go in for me. I should have volunteered before she did so she wouldn't have to. I probably would have died, but people in District 12 would care more if Katniss died, because of her delicious meat. I sigh, and realize it's pretty late. I yawn and make my way to my room, and hope beyond hope that nothing happens to Katniss while I'm sleeping.

I wake up in the middle of the night again, due to bad dreams. Not the normal nightmares, though, ones where _I _was in the Hunger Games. I had gotten away from the bloodbath, but the Careers had hunted me down and I scampered up a tree to try and avoid them. But Glimmer, who was even more beautiful in my dream, took out the silver bow, aimed, and let the string fly.

"KATNISS! KATNISS HELP ME!" I start sobbing once I realize for the eighth night in a row that she's not here. Why did this have to happen to her? To me? To Mother? This isn't fair. It was our ancestors that started the rebellion, not us. Why should we have to be punished for it? I look around at my room, neatly arranged as we don't have many belongings, and my bed seems out of place. The blankets are all messed up and lopsided; I must have thrashed around a lot in my sleep. Realizing that I'm only covered in a fraction of the covers, I rub my eyes and let my feet find their way to the couch. It's only 5:28, and it looks like Katniss is just waking up too. She's looking around, and I hear what she's looking for. Suddenly I'm wide awake. The girl from 8 was stupid enough to light a fire to try and warm herself up, and the Career pack and Peeta is on her tail. I watch in horror as first Clove cuts all of her hair off, then the District 1 guy(Marvel, thank you Caesar) gives her a bunch of little cuts on her face. She's screaming and crying now in agony. Luckily I see Peeta not taking any part in this, and as Cato hands Glimmer a sword to finish the girl off, I see Peeta look away and I do the same. The cannon booms.

The camera cuts back to Katniss, who looks terrified, and she stays still and silent as the Careers pass below her tree, not noticing her up above. They were mocking the girl they just killed.

"Did you hear her? 'Don't kill me, please…PLEASE!'" Cato remarked smugly. They all laughed.

"'Please, I can help you, just give me a chance!'" Glimmer sneered. I really did not like her.

Once they all were well away from Katniss, she untied herself and stuffed everything back into her pack. She leaped down from the tree and I saw her making a slight directional inference before she started heading the same way she had been before sleep. I sighed. Hopefully it was going to be a boring day in the arena for Katniss. Even the Gamemakers thought so, because whenever the Games got a little dry but not dry enough for them to start anything themselves, they started playing all the deaths over again. At this I ran away from the living room and back into my bedroom. I slipped on some clothes and shoes and braided my hair in two braids down the sides. Then I headed out.

The streets were practically empty. Most people were probably surprised that Peeta was in the Career group, and Katniss was still alive, so they were tuned into their televisions. However, the bakery couldn't seem to care less. They were still open and business was going smoothly as ever, if not better because people felt sorry that their son was Reaped. I opened the door and timidly entered. The cakes didn't look as good as they usually do, and I guessed that that was because Peeta did the frosting. A big, floury man with a bushy mustache loomed over the counter and asked me if he could get me anything.

"Oh, no thanks, I don't have any money, I just really love the artwork on the cakes." I say timidly.

"Thanks." The man says gruffly. Then he squints at me. "Wait, you're Primrose Everdeen! You're sister's in the Hunger Games with my son!"

"Yes." I look down at my shoes, remembering that. The big man behind the counter and I have something in common.

"I'm very sorry for your loss. Here, have a cookie. This is one of the last ones that Peeta frosted before he was Reaped."

"She's not dead yet!" I say defensively. But nonetheless, I take the cookie. "Thank you, and I'm very sorry for yours, too."

He shrugs as if it means nothing to him. Jerk.

"Well, I've given you what you want, now are you actually going to buy something?"

"No, I told you I don't have any money."

"Then GET OUT!"

I scurry out of the bakery, making note not to stop in there again until a while after the Games are over and I have some money to actually buy something.

Looking down the street, I see that most places are closed. So I decide to go to the place that's never closed. The Hob.


	5. The Reporter

**I am so SORRY for the late update! I know I'm trying to do a chapter-a-week thing, but it gets hard in the summer. Anyway, sorry again and I hope you like this chapter! Remember, R&R's make my day!**

**-gdmango**

I wring my hands and wipe the sweat off them onto my skirt as I walk into the Hob. People look up at me from the streets, grime coating their skin and their noses and hands twitching creepily. I start to walk faster. One particularly filthy man sees me approaching and grins a toothy smile and gets up and starts to stagger over to me. His beard is unshaven and I can smell the alcohol on him from the yards away that I am.

I gag and start to walk even faster. But he catches up anyway.

"'Ello, sweetheart. What're you doing down here in the bad part o' town? Eh?" He slurs each and every word and chuckles weirdly at the end of his question.

"I-I-I'm just—"

"Lookin for a job? I can pay you good money if you're good in bed." He licks his lips and looks me straight in the eye. His are wild and thirsty for anything he can find. I wondered if Katniss always got heckled by these kinds of people wherever she went.

"N-N-No! No I'm not! Get away from me!" I tear away from his grip and race down the uneven cobblestone towards the heart of the Hob, and start to look around for someone I know, or Katniss has told me about. There! Greasy Sae, always kind and willing to lend a hand. I slow my pace and catch my breath as I weave through the stands to get to hers.

"Hey! That's Primrose Everdeen! Primrose! Over here, PRIMROSE!" I look around confusedly, as I was only feet away from reaching the safety of Greasy Sae's stand, when I heard them.

"PRIMROSE! OVER HER PRIMROSE!" I wheel around and spot the source of the sound, a _reporter. _From the _Capitol._ A reporter from the Capitol wants to talk to me?

"PRIMR-"

"Yes, how may I help you?" I ask shyly. I could feel my cheeks start to get rosy. The reporter and crew looked at one another with glee, before hurrying over to me. The cameraman set up the camera and the reporter, a wild looking woman with light blue skin and gems implanted on her cheekbones, her shocking green hair sleeked back into a ponytail that looked like it exploded in the back after the elastic was placed, and her clothes were all the colors of the rainbow except green and blue, and they got thin and then puffed out in random places. I looked at her weirdly, but luckily she didn't notice. Another crew member was busy fixing her makeup and handing her a microphone and then the cameraman started the countdown. I only knew what he was doing because we learned about it in school as a possible profession for us in the future.

"Hello citizens of Panem! Moonshine Kelpy here with Primrose Everdeen, Katniss Everdeen of District 12's sister whom she volunteered for. Now, I know we were all very touched when she volunteered to take your place in the 74th Games, but how did you feel when she volunteered?"

"I-"

"Wait, let's back up, how did you feel when your name got called?"

"I-I guess I just felt, well, scared. And surprised, and scared. I mean, my name was only in the Reaping ball once, as I'm only 12, so it was quite a shock." I reviewed what I had said. Acceptable, I guess, but if I want to get Katniss sponsors, I'm going to have to step up my game.

"Yes, it must have been terrifying, poor dear, but then how did you feel when you heard Katniss volunteer?"

This was my time to shine.

"Stunned, for a moment, then worried, then I realized the full impact of what she was doing for me. You see, here in 12 getting Reaped is practically a death sentence, so when I came to my senses I started to regret what I had let her do. She was the one who always took care of me, protected me from nightmares, and helped me when I needed it. I never realized until she was gone the first night how much I needed her. But now I understand. Now I get it. Katniss was my guardian angel, my protector, and now… she's gone." I started to tear up. Part of the tears were fake, but actually most of them were real. I could hear the hush of resounding "Awwwww"s going through Panem right now. "I just need my big sister to come home." I choked out. That ought to get her some sponsors.

"Oh my. Here, dear, have a handkerchief." She handed me a piece of lavender silk and I dabbed at my eyes. "Are you willing to answer more questions?" I nodded.

"Wonderful, darling. Now, one thing I'm a little confused about, what about your mother? Doesn't she live with you also?"

Inside, I started hyperventilating. I couldn't tell the truth, otherwise they would take me away from her, so I had to lie.

"Mother, she's so dear to both of us. See, the reason why Katniss was the one always looking out for me is because Mother is so busy working all the time. She tries to get as much money as she can to keep us going, so she's barely home."

"Ah, that makes sense. How sweet. If you don't mind a personal question, what did Katniss say to you in your final goodbyes?"

"She told me," I paused to think about what I wanted to tell to Panem and what I wanted to keep private. "She told me exactly what she said in the interviews before the Games. I made her promise that she would try to win, and she said that she would, for me." My bottom lip began to tremble. "I just miss her so much!" I sniffled. "And if I miss her so much right now, I can't even start to imagine what it would be like without her… forever. It's like a heartache that can't be cured. My heart already aches and misses her so terribly, it makes me wonder, how would I deal with the pain if she wasn't here at all anymore. I can't even express how much it hurts." I started to actually cry now, wiping the flowing pearly tears off my rosy cheeks with the lavender hanky.

"Oh, oh darling, it's alright, it's alright." The reporter looked at me with such pity and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Just a few more questions, then we'll leave you to your… business." I nodded in response, unable to talk.

"What else do you want to know about my sad little life that means practically nothing?" There's that "Awwwww" going through Panem again!

"It means the world to your sister! And your mother, and I'm sure plenty of people out there in the Districts!"

"Sure." I sob.

"Darling, darling, calm down, caaaalm down. Can I ask another question?"

"Yes."

"How do you feel now that there's only 12 tributes left in the arena and that your sister is one of them?" She asks soothingly.

"I'm partly surprised that she made it past the bloodbath, but at the same time I'm not. She's a fighter; she always has been. She's tougher than the other girls in her grade. Much tougher. And she can-" I stopped. I was about to tell them that she could hunt, but that would be a BIG mistake. So I changed my direction mid-sentence. "fight. She's actually been in a couple at school, because the people were picking on me. She says that she'd do anything for me, and I guess she proved that at the Reapings."

"Indeed she did. Two more questions; What do you think about Peeta Mellark?"

I pursed my lips. Truth is, Katniss never talked about him before. Like, ever. But I couldn't _say _that. I had to go along with the Capitol's little show.

"Katniss has had a crush on him for the past year, but she never made herself clear to him, because she told me that I was her number-one priority, and nothing could get in the way of that. I always told her to go for it, but she always shook her head and told me that she couldn't do that to me. She's a really amazing sister."

"That is very nice. But what do _you _think about him?" Moonshine pressed.

"I guess he's handsome." I giggled for effect. "Honestly when I was 10 I had a BIG crush on him, but now I realize that he's too old for me, and is probably going to die. Sorry, but that has to happen in order for Katniss to come home. But now, I like him. I mean, he's so sweet and kind to Katniss, even though she seems kind-of cold to him, I can tell she secretly likes it. I guess she just realizes that if she gets too attached to him and he dies, she'll just be heartbroken. But he is so nice! The way he joined the Careers to protect her! That is sooo sweet!"

"Yes it is! And the last question; what did you think when she came out in that flaming dress in the Chariot Rides?"

"I was freaked out. I mean, she was on freaking_ fire! _Although after Mother told me that Katniss was going to be okay, it was really cool. And it's awesome how people are now calling her; "The Girl on Fire"! She deserves to be called that, although I'm a bit confused. I mean, Peeta was on fire too!"

The reporter laughed. "Well, thank you so much for the interview, Primrose-"

"Please, call me Prim. That's what everyone calls me." I smiled. The reporter positively beamed.

"Okay, Prim! Thank you so much for the interview, and best of luck to your sister in the arena!" My smile faded as I remembered this, and I nodded and thanked her quietly. "This is Moonshine Kelpy, signing off!"


	6. The Hawthorne's Visit

**Hi! If you're still reading this, please R&R because I'm not sure if anyone is reading this and it's no fun writing for no one :( anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

**-gdmango**

* * *

As I walked back home, I thought about what I had said. It sounded pretty good, in my opinion. As soon as I walked in the door, still deep in thought, I was smothered by hugs. Posy, Rory, and Vick all engulf me, and I try my best to hug them back.

"Prim! Prim look what I got!"

"Good to see you, Prim!"

"Hi, Prim." Rory shies away but keeps looking at me. I blush.

"Hi Rory."

"HEY! What about us?" Posy demands.

"Sorry, Posy! And Vick!" Vick just waves it away, but Posy pouts a little. Being the youngest, you can tell she's not used to being forgotten. Vick is mature, I think he's 15, so he can just disregard me not noticing him. And Rory, well, Rory is different. Instead of the usual Seam look; olive skin, grey eyes, straight black hair, he has tan skin, freckles, deep brown eyes, and chocolate brown hair. He's 13, so a year older than me, but I do have the tiniest crush on him. Posy tells me he has a crush on me, too.

"Ah, Prim, you're home!" Mother greets me in warm arms, and she seems more alive than usual. She's smiling and acting sort-of like she did before dad died, which I barely remember, but I do remember that she used to laugh a lot and there was always a little twinkle in her eye. That twinkle is gone forever, but when she has guests or is fixing someone up, she gets nicer and more warm-hearted.

"Yeah, what's this about? I thought they were supposed to come yesterday night." Wow. I only just remembered that they were supposed to come yesterday. I must have been so intent on watching Katniss that I totally forgot. Oops.

"Yes, well, I rescheduled because I wasn't ready for guests yesterday. I had to clean the house and get some food." I just cleaned the house two or three days ago! And she gets the credit? Not fair! _Let it go, Prim, let it go._ I took a deep breath and counted to 10, and then I smiled.

"It's nice to have you all here tonight to watch Katniss!"

This was received with silence. I guess they were really sad about Katniss in the arena just like I was. Then Vick spoke up half-heartedly.

"Yeah, sure is."

"Mm hmm." Rory chimed in. "We're here for you, Prim, no matter what." He walked over and put his arm around me, rubbing my shoulder. Oh. My. Gosh. Rory had his arm around me! _Oh stop that! Remember? Your sister is in the _Hunger Games_? _Right. Don't think about that, just think about Katniss.

"Well, should we all sit down then?" Gale asked.

"Sure. Let's see what happened today."

We all waited with bated breath to see Katniss up on the screen, but they were focused on the Careers, who were having a real great time feasting on their goods. Then the camera cuts to Thresh, who is hunting for food with a stick with a pointed end, then to rue who is eating some leaves, then to the girl from 5 who's running through the woods, then back to the career pack.

"Come on, where's Katniss…?" Gale sounds heartbroken when he says it. I always suspected that he and her had a thing going, but I guess not. I know that he at least has feelings for her.

Finally, the camera cuts to Katniss, who is nursing an awful looking leg high up in a tree.

"Oh my God. What. Happened?" I breathe.

"I don't know, but I think they're about to show it…" Gale's voice quivers a little, so I take his hand.

"She'll be okay." I smile at him and he looks at me gratefully.

"LOOK! LOOK! They're showing it!" Posy announces.

There's a recap of Katniss finally finding water, drinking tons, then soaking, and then she gets out of the little lake and rests on land for a bit. That's when the first flaming ball of fire hits scarily near her. She jumps up with a jolt, looks at the tree next to her that's up in flames before looking up and seeing another fire ball being hurled at her. She starts sprinting away and I find myself not breathing. A fire ball once again comes extremely close to Katniss, but she dodges it. Another one is coming, but she doesn't see it yet.

"KATNISS! BEHIND YOU!" I scream, even though I know she can't hear me.

"Luckily, she sees it just in time to jump behind a rock, but not soon enough for her calf not to be caught in it. She's writhing in pain and I think to myself how she's never been good with medical stuff, much less blood.

"Oh, Katniss." I moan.

Hazelle and my mother are clinging to each other's hands, reassuring each other with small squeezes. A small tear is trickling down my mother's cheek and I see a bit of her old self come back for a second.

"KATNISS!" Gale shouts suddenly, causing me to jump. I whirl around to the TV and see another ball of fire heading straight towards her. But even with her calf that's still smoking a little, she manages to jump out of the way and run a ways away and back into some water, which I'm sure soothes the wound, but it gets it infected much easier.

"Oh, Katniss, that just gets the wound infected much faster." My mother clucks, voicing my thoughts.

The camera cuts to the careers, who I realize are really close to where Katniss is.

"Oh no. Ohhhh no." I say. No one ever survives an attack from the careers in the arena. I start to cry. So this is it, huh? Katniss is going to die in a matter of minutes, and there is absolutely _nothing_ I can do about it. I normally would have said that she can beat them, but with her calf in it's condition…

"This can't be happening. She could have won. She can win. She can avoid them; I know she can take them!" I say desperately.

"Oh, Katniss. Katniss I love you so much. I really do." Gale whispers.

"I turn to him, seeing tears streaming down his cheeks just like they are on mine.

"Prim…" Rory walks over to me, and hugs me real tight. I hug him back, sobbing into his shoulder.

"Oh, Rory, what am I going to do without her?"

"I don't know, but you will always ha-"

"LOOK YOU GUYS! LOOOOOOK!" Posy screams.

Katniss is scrambling up a tree, the careers on her heels. She's actually just as fast as usual, surprisingly, but I suppose I would be too if death was chasing me. The big boy from 2 starts climbing after her, but quickly snaps a branch he thought could hold him and comes tumbling down. Next the girl from 2 tries, but she can't reach the next branch.

"Oh, let me try." Glimmer says impatiently. She pulls out the bow and arrows, and aims one at Katniss. She shoots it in Katniss' direction but easily misses.

"Why don't you throw the sword?" Katniss asks hopefully. I laugh a little, sniffling, but I love how she can put humor in a situation where she's almost guaranteed to die. I can see Peeta in the back of the career pack trying to hide a smile, but nonetheless looking worried that they actually found Katniss.

"You've done good, Lover Boy, we found your Girl on Fire, thanks to you, now you can watch as we kill her." The boy from 1 smiles nastily.

"Why can't we just wait her out?" Peeta asks daringly, "I mean, she has to come down at some point, why not just kill her then?" I have a feeling he's just hoping that they won't kill her now and she'll have time to escape. He's so sweet. I look at Gale, who's grimacing at Peeta darkly.

The rest of the careers exchange looks, then nod.

"Fine. We'll wait her out, Lover Boy. Let's make camp gang!" Cato states.

That night while Katniss is on the verge of sleep, a silver parachute drifts down and gets caught in a branch just out of her reach. Her eyes flutter open, and she slowly focuses on the canister connected to the parachute. A sponsor gift! YES! She gets up and retrieves it, opens it, and everyone in our house sighs with relief except Posy.

"What's that?" She asks.

"That burn medicine for Katniss! It will help her a lot." I explain.

"Oh. Yay!" Posy smiles.

As Katniss applies the medicine, relief spreads across her face, and she keeps putting more on her calf and welted hands. Finally, she caps the canister and stores it in her backpack. Then as she's about to close her eyes again, a small whisper reaches her ears from a nearby tree.

"Pst! Pssst!" It's Rue! She's in a tree very close to Katniss, and when my sister finds the source of the noise, she opens her eyes wide in shock. Rue quickly puts a finger to her lips, then motions up at a branch a couple yards above Katniss. As the latter cautiously looks up, I can see the panic in her eyes begin to form, and she looks back at Rue, who starts doing a sawing motion to the branch and then pointing at the sleeping careers below. Katniss understands and looks back up at the branch nervously, and the camera finally gets a good look at what Rue was pointing at.

A large hive, quietly humming with activity inside, golden creatures flitting in and out of it, buzzing with anticipation, craving action. And I understand the plan. Drop the nest on the careers. Hopefully it will scare them off so Katniss can escape. A golden bug comes out of the hive and flies closer to the camera. And I feel the knot in my stomach tighten as I take a closer look at the deadly specimens. Tracker Jackers.


End file.
